Cloth feed control for spreading machine

ABSTRACT

A cloth spreading machine supporting a cloth roll, a spreader unit, and means positively feeding the cloth from the roll to the spreader unit, a main drive motor for reciprocably moving the machine longitudinally over a cloth spreading table, a feed motor for driving the cloth feed means, a motor control circuit and a feed control circuit electrically coupled together for respectively energizing the main drive motor and the feed motor at corresponding varying speeds, a dancer roller responsive to the tension in the cloth and an overfeed potentiometer in the feed control circuit and operatively responsive to the movement of the dancer roller to vary the speed of the feed motor in order to supply the cloth feed demands of the spreading machine.

Unite States Patent Benson et a1.

[ 1 Aug. 15, 1972 CLOTH FEED CONTROL FOR SPREADING MACHINE [72]Inventors: Robert W. Benson; Robert C. Reed,

both of Nashville, Tenn.

[73] Assignee: Cutters Machine Company, Inc.,

Nashville, Tenn.

[22] Filed: May 4, 1970 [21] Appl. No.: 34,426

[52] US. Cl ..270/31, 242/7543 [51] Int. Cl. ..B65h 29/46 [58] Field ofSearch ..270/30, 31; 242/75.43

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,227,390 1/1966 Wendelken..270/31 X 3,112,107 11/1963 Theodosiou ..270/31 3,400,927 9/1968 Martinet a1 ..270/31 Primary ExaminerRobert W. Michell Assistant Examiner-L.R. Orernland Attorney-Harrington A. Lackey ABSTRACT A cloth spreadingmachine supporting a cloth roll, a spreader unit, and means positivelyfeeding the cloth from the roll to the spreader unit, a main drive motorfor reciprocably moving the machine longitudinally over a clothspreading table, a feed motor for driving the cloth feed means, a motorcontrol circuit and a feed control circuit electrically coupled togetherfor respectively energizing the main drive motor and the feed motor atcorresponding varying speeds, a dancer roller responsive to the tensionin the cloth and an overfeed potentiometer in the feed control circuitand operatively responsive to the movement of the dancer roller to varythe speed of the feed motor in order to supply the cloth feed demands ofthe spreading machine.

12 Claims, 6 Drawing Figures PATENTEUAUS 15 I972 3.684.273

sum 1 [IF 3 INVENTORS'. I W ROBEQTWBEN5ON Z Rosem ($125 PATENTEDAuc 15I972 SHEET 2 OF 3 1 .5 a v I I iiur INVENTORSI ROBERT \ALBENsoN ROBERT(M2551) BY Z I; ATTORNEY CLOTH FEED CONTROL FOR SPREADING MACHINEBACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to a cloth spreadingmachine, and more particularly to a cloth feed control for a spreadingmachine.

Many different types of mechanical and-electrical controls have beendevised for controlling the cloth feed of spreading machines. Cloth feedmechanisms have been driven through mechanical linkages to the maindrive of the machine, so that the cloth feed is driven simultaneouslywith the movement of the spreading frame. Dancer rollers have beenemployed to take up temporary slack in the cloth web as it is overfed.Furthermore, switches have been operatively coupled to such dancerrollers in order to energize clutch and/or brake means for controllingthe unwinding of the cloth roll in response to the position of thedancer roller. Overrunning clutches have been employed in thetransmission in order to overdrive the cloth roll faster than thedriving of the frame in response to the feed demands upon the cloth.However, most of these apparatus operate on an on-off or gono go systemso that the overfeeding or underfeeding is abrupt and jerky.

Moreover, in situations where the feed of the cloth is rather closelytied to the movement of the frame, the extra demand for cloth, createdby the engagement of the spreader unit with the catcher mechanism, isnot met. Thus, where the demand for cloth is greater than itsavailability at any moment, the cloth is stretched. Where the supply isgreater than the temporary demand, then the cloth is slack and wrinkled.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is therefore an object of this invention toovercome the above enumerated disadvantages by providing a very nearlytensionless cloth feed.

It is also an object of this invention to provide a cloth speed controlin which the movement of the cloth is electrically responsive to themovement of the frame and the simultaneous variations in speeds of bothare gradual.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a very sensitivedevice for sensing the demands for cloth and for gradually responding tooverfeed or underfeed, as required.

The cloth feed control pursuant to this invention basically includes anelectrical main drive motor for reciprocably moving the machine framelongitudinally over a spreading table, a separate feed motor forpositively driving a cloth speed mechanism, a motor control circuit anda feed control circuit electrically coupled together for synchronouslydriving both the main drive and feed motors.

The control also includes a dancer roller pivotally mounted upon themachine and counter-balanced to carry the moving cloth web and to pivotin response to the tension in the cloth. A rotary potentiometer isadapted to vary its resistance according to the pivotal position of thedancer roller, and forms a part of the feed control circuit forcorrespondingly controlling the speed of the feed motor in order tooverfeed or underfeed the cloth web, as demanded.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a side elevation of a clothspreading machine incorporating the cloth feed control made inaccordance with this invention;

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary top plan view of the spreading machine disclosedin FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary section taken along the line 33 ofFIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary section taken along the line 44 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary schematic section taken along the line 55 ofFIG. 2; and

FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram of the electrical control circuit.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring now to the drawings inmore detail, FIG. 1 discloses a typical cloth spreading machine 10including a frame 11 mounted on wheels 12 for longitudinal movement overa spreading table 13. Mounted adjacent the rear of the frame 11 is acloth supply feed mechanism 15 supporting a cloth roll 16. A web 17 ofcloth is fed from the roll 16 over the guide rods 18 and 19 beneath thetop feed roll 20, over the dancer roller 21 to the spreading unit 24,where the cloth web 17 is spread upon the table 13 in layers 25.

The frame 11 is moved longitudinally over the table 13 by driving therear wheels 12 through a chain and sprocket transmission 27, drive shaft28, and belt transmission 29 from the main drive motor 30 mounted on theframe 1 1.

The cloth supply feed mechanism 15 is practically identical to thatdisclosed in U. S. Pat. No. 3,400,927, issued to Thomas W. Martin et alon Sept. 10, 1968. The supply feed mechanism 15 includes a pair of feedrollers 33 and 34 positively driven through respective chain andsprocket transmissions 35 and 36 from a common shaft 37 transverselyreciprocable within, but rotatable with, sleeve 38, to permit transversemovement of the mechanism 15 in response to the edge control device 40,the operation of which forms no part of this invention. The sleeve 38 isin in turn driven by shaft 41, which in turn is driven through chain andsprocket transmission 42 from the feed drive shaft 43. The feed driveshaft 43 is in turn driven through chain and sprocket transmission 44from the feed drive motor or feed motor 45.

The top feed roll 20 has a shaft 47 rotatably journaled in the frame 11and is provided at one end with a driven sprocket 48. The drivensprocket 48 is driven from the drive shaft 43 through the chain 50,which is also trained about guide sprockets 51 and 52.

The dancer roller 21 is journaled in the free or movable ends of severalarm plates comprising an arm frame or am bracket. The opposite ends ofthe plates 54 are joumaled about the top roll feed shaft 47 so that thedancer roller 21 swings about the top feed roll shaft 47 as a pivotalaxis.

The dancer roller 21 is also positively driven by sprocket 56, chain 57and sprocket 58 fixed upon the top feed roll shaft 47. In this manner,the dancer roller 21 and the top feed roll 20 are driven at the samesurface speed, but in opposite directions, in order to feed the clothweb 17 trained about the respective rolls 20 and 21 in the samedirection and at the same speed, as best disclosed in FIG. 4.

The arm plates 54 are counter-balanced into a desired operative positionby means of the spring 60, secured at one end 60 to one of the armplates 54 and at its opposite end to an adjusting screw 62. Bymanipulating the adjusting screw 62, the arm plate 54, and therefore thedancer roller 21, may be maintained in any desired operative positionfor supporting the cloth web 17. I

Carried by the outermost or remote arm plate 54 is a potentiometerbracket 64, to which is fixed a rotary potentiometer 65, which swingswith the arm plate 54 and therefore the dancer roller 21. Fixed to theside of the frame 11 is a wiper bracket 66, carying a rotatablyadjustable wiper 67 inserted into the rotary potentiometer 65. Thus, asthe rotary potentiometer 65 moves with the dancer roller 21, the fixedwiper 67 varies the resistance of the potentiometer 65, correspondingly.

FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram of the control circuit 70 for operatingthe main drive motor and the cloth feed motor 45. The circuitry forcontrolling the edge sensor is not disclosed since it forms no part ofthis invention.

The control circuit 70 includes a main power switch 71 connected to asuitable source of alternating current. The main power switch 71 isadapted to close a main primary circuit 72 into the transformer 73 andstep down the voltage in the secondary drive motor supply circuit 75connected to the motor controller circuit 76, of any conventionaldesign. The motor controller circuit 76 supplies voltage through thefield circuit 77 to the field winding 78 of the drive motor 30. Themotor controller circuit 76 also is connected through an SCR bridge 79to a pair of normally open, motor relay switches 80 and 81. When themotor relay switches 80 and 81 are closed, as disclosed in dashed linesin FIG. 6, a current is fed to the reversing circuit, includingreversing input lead 82 and reversing output lead 83. Input lead 82 isconnected to the reversing input switches 84 and 85, while the outputlead 83 is connected to the reversing output switches 86 and 87. Oneside of the armature of the drive motor 30 is connected through armaturelead 88 to the reversing switches 84 and 87, while the opposite side ofthe armature is connected through armature lead 89 to the reversingswitches 86 and 85.

When the motor relay switches 80 and 81 are in their normally open oroff positions, they connect the reversing leads 82 and 83 togetherthrough a braking resistor 90.

Connected in parallel with the drive motor supply circuit 75 is thestarting circuit 92, including in series a normally closed momentarystop switch 93, a normally open momentary start switch 94, and a holdingrelay coil 95 which is connected through common line 96 to the otherside of the drive motor supply circuit 75. Connected in parallel withthe start switch 94 is the holding relay circuit 97 including holdingrelay switch 98 controlled by the holding relay coil 95. Thus, when thestart switch 94 is momentarily despressed, the holding relay coil 95 isenergized to close holding relay switch 98 to maintain the holding relaycoil 95 energized, even after the start switch 94 is released to itsopen position.

Also actuated by the energization of the holding relay coil is the motorstarting switch 100 which closes motor starting circuit 101, includingstarting coil 102 connected to a second common line 103, which is alsoconnected to the other side of the drive motor supply circuit 75. Thus,when the motor starting switch 100 is closed, in the dashed lineposition of FIG. 6, to energize the starting coil 102, both motor relays80 and 81 are moved to their closed dashed-line positions to connect themotor control circuit 76 to the reversing circuits 82 and 83.

Connected in parallel with the holding relay circuit 97 is thehigh-speed circuit 105, including in parallel a pair of momentaryhigh-speed switches 106, and in series a high-speed holding relay coil107 also connected to the common line 96. One of the high-speed switches106 is mounted in the plunger box 160 and adapted to be actuated by therelease of the plunger 161 (FIG. 1), as the frame 1 1 is just leavingthe catcher, not shown, in the manner described in co-pending U. S. Pat.application Ser. No. 857,509, of Robert W. Benson et a1, filed Sept. 12,1969. The other high-speed switch 106 is located in a similar plungerbox, not shown, on the opposite end of the frame 11 and functions in thesame manner at the opposite end of the travel of the machine frame 11.The high-speed circuit 105 is connected to holding relay circuit 108,including holding relay switch 109, which closes the holding relayswitch circuit 108 upon energization of the high-speed coil 107. Thehigh-speed holding relay circuit 108 is also connected to a set ofparallel relay switches and 11, each of which is adapted to bealternately closed with the first set of reversing switches 84 and 86and the second set of reversing switches 87 and 85, respectively. Wheneither of the relay switches 110 or 111 is closed, the high-speedholding relay circuit 108 is connected to the low-speed circuit 112,which includes in series normally closed low-speed switches 1 13 and 114. The low-speed circuit 112 is connected in parallel with the holdingrelay circuit 97. Thus, after either of the high-speed switches 106 ismomentarily closed to energize the holding relay coil 107, the holdingrelay coil 107 is maintained energized by the closing of the highspeedholding relay switch circuit 108 which is connected through either ofthe relay switches 110 or 1 11 to the normally closed low-speed circuit1 12.

The purpose of the alternate low-speed reversing switches 110 and 111 isto open the high-speed circuit 105 at the end of each traverse of theframe 11, as a precaution against failure of the low-speed switches 1 13and l 14 to be tripped open.

Also actuated by the high-speed holding relay coil 107 is the selectivespeed switch 115 which is connected by an input lead 1 16 to the motorcontroller circuit 76. In its high-speed dashed line position, theselective switch 115 closes the high-speed lead 117 to the high-speedpotentiometer 118 in the motor controller circuit 75 to increase thespeed of the motor controller circuit and thereby the drive motor 30 toa predetermined high-speed. When the high-speed holding relay coil 107is de-energized, selective switch 115 closes the low-speed lead 1 19 tothe low-speed potentiometer 120 in the motor controller circuit 76 toreduce the speed of the drive motor to a predetermined low speed.

Although not mechanically disclosed in the drawings, the low-speedswitches 113 and 114 are mounted on frame 11 so that each is adapted tobe tripped or actuated by some type of tripping device stationarilymounted on the table 13 at a predetermined distance from the catcher, sothat the machine travelling at high speed toward a catcher isautomatically reduced to low speed before entering the catcher, in amanner described in the above co-pending application Ser. No. 857,509.

Also connected in parallel with the motor starting circuit 101 is thedirection circuit 122 including direction switches 123 and 124. Thedirection switches 123 and 124 are also mounted in the plunger box 107and adapted to be actuated to alternate their positions when the plunger108 engages a stop plate on the catcher mechanism at the end of thetravel of the machine frame 11. The direction switches 123 and 124 areso arranged, that when switch 123 is open, switch 124 is closed, andvice versa. Forward switch 124 is adapted to close forward circuit 125,while reverse switch 123 is adapted to close reverse circuit 126.Forward circuit 125 includes a forward relay coil 127 and reversecircuit 126 includes reverse relay coil 128, which are connected inparallel to the common line 103. The forward circuit 125 and reversecircuit 126 may also be provided with a selective manual switch 130 ifdesired. When forward relay coil 127 is energized, it actuates aselective reversing switch 131, connected to the high side of motor feedcircuit 75 through lead 132, to a forward position energizing theforward motor relay coil 133. When relay coil 128 is energized selectiveswitch 131 is shifted to its opposite dashedline position to energizethe reverse motor relay coil 134. When the forward motor relay coil 133is energized, the switches 84, 110 and 86 are closed and the switches87, 111 and 85 are open. When selective switch 131 energizes reversemotor relay coil 134, switches 87, 111 and 85 are closed, while switches84, 110 and 86 are open.

The circuitry thus far described is substantially the same as thatdisclosed in the above co-pending application, Ser. No. 857,509.

Connected in parallel with the main primary circuit 72 is a cloth feedprimary circuit 136 for a second transformer 137 supplying a step-downvoltage through the secondary cloth feed supply circuit 139 to the feedcontroller circuit 140. The feed controller circuit 140 can be one ofany numerous conventional designs. However, this particular controllercircuit 140 includes elements for timing the firing or conductance ofthe SCRs in the SCR bridge 141 in order to vary the speed of the clothfeed motor 45 through the armature circuit 142. An SCR in the bridge 141is fired or rendered conductive to alternating current for a periodduring each A.C. cycle depending upon the strength or magnitude of theinput signal. The main motor controller circuit 76 may function in amanner similar to the feed controller circuit 140 to fire the SCRs inbridge 79. The feed controller circuit 140 also impresses a voltagethrough the field circuit 143 upon the field coil 144 of feed motor 45In order to synchronize the speeds of the cloth feed motor 45 and themain drive motor 30, input or coupling leads 147 and 148 are connectedto the positive lead 83 and the negative lead 82, respectively, of

the drive motor reversing circuit. A signal from the output of the drivemotor SCR bridge 79 is transmitted to the coupling leads 147 and 148when the motor relays and 81 are closed in the dashed-line position ofFIG. 6. The back E.M.F. from the armature of the drive motor 30 istransmitted to the coupling leads 147 and 148 when the motor relayswitches 80 and 81 are in their solid-line braking positions asdisclosed in FIG. 6. The input signal transmitted through the couplingleads 147 and 148 is amplified through the input amplifier circuit 150,including transistor 151 and a Zener diode 152. The output from theamplifier circuit 150 is transmitted through the leads 153 and 154 intothe remainder of the feed controller circuit 140.

Also included in the input amplifier circuit 150 is the rotary overfeedpotentiometer 65 and the wiper 67, which is connected to the base of thetransistor 151.

Through the input amplifier circuit 150 a signal can be transmitted tocloth feed controller circuit from the main drive motor 30, or acombined signal from the main drive motor 30 and the overfeedpotentiometer 65 can be transmitted to feed controller circuit 140 asthe wiper 67 varies from its normal feeding position relative to thepotentiometer 65.

The input signal to the amplifier circuit can be adjusted by means ofthe manual potentiometer 155. By manipulating the manual potentiometer155, the speed of the cloth feed motor 45 could be slightly reducedrelative to the speed of the main drive motor 30, in order to providemore tension in the cloth web 17 at it is fed from the supply roll 15 tothe spreader unit 24.

It will also be noted that the input signal leads 147 and 148 areconnected to the reversing leads 82 and 83 in such a manner that thesignal impressed upon the input amplifier circuit 150 is always in thesame direction, or of the same polarity, regardless of the direction ofcurrent through the armature of the main drive motor 30. Thus, as themain drive motor 30 reverses at each end of the travel of the spreaderframe 1 1, the cloth feed motor 45 will continue to drive the clothsupply mechanism 15, the top feed roll 20 and dancer roller 21 in thesame direction.

Furthermore, it is noted that the signal input leads 147 and 148 areconnected so that they will receive a signal from the drive motor 30regardless of whether the motor relays 80 and 81 are on or off, that is,in driving or braking positions. In other words, when the relay switches80 and 81 are on so that the drive motor 30 is positively driven at highspeed, through the high-speed potentiometer 118, or low speed throughthe low-speed potentiometer 120, or accelerating, or decelerating or ata constant speed, proportional signals will be transmitted through leads147 and 148 to the feed controller circuit 140 so that there will be acorresponding speed in the cloth feed motor 45.

By the same token, when the motor relays 80 and 81 are in theirsolid-line braking positions, the back E.M. F. of the deceleratingarmature of the drive motor 30 is fed through the input leads 147 and148 to produce a corresponding speed reduction in the cloth feed motor45.

Where the demand for the cloth exceeds its supply, such as when theframe 11 reaches the end of its travel and extra cloth is required tointerleave between the tuck blades of the spreader unit 24 and thecatcher bar, not shown, the web 17 is pulled down, simultaneouslypulling the dancer roller 21 down. The downward swinging movement of thedancer roller 21 rotates the potentiometer 65 relative to the wiper 67,changing the resistance of the potentiometer 65 to correspondinglyincrease the signal transmitted from the amplifier circuit 150 into thefeed controller circuit 140, thereby increasing the speed of the feedmotor 45 to feed the additional cloth required by the catcher. However,when the frame 111 reverses and moves the spreader unit 24 away from thecatcher, not shown, the extra slack in the cloth 17 previously createdby the interleaving of the tuck blades and the catcher bar, permits thedancer roller 21 to swing upward by the counter-balancing springs 60,varying the resistance in the potentiometer 65 in the opposite directionto reduce the output signal from the amplifier circuit 150 into the feedcontroller circuit 140. Accordingly, the speed of the cloth feed motor45 is decreased below its normal speed corresponding to the speed of themain drive motor 30, until the slack is removed, and the dancer roller21 and potentiometer 65 are restored to their normal operatingpositions.

By coupling the drive motor 30 and the cloth feed motor 45 insynchronous relationship electrically, and by gradually varying thespeeds of the motors a smoother cloth feed has been perfected. Moreover,the

. electrical control circuits employed provide a more sensitive responseto the demands of the cloth, so that the swinging movement of the dancerroller 21 is barely perceptible, except at the end of the travel of theframe 1 1, and under other exceptional conditions where there is anextra immediate demand for cloth.

What is claimed is:

1. In a cloth spreading machine having a frame movable longitudinallyover a spreading surface and having a cloth supply and spreader meansfor spreading cloth from said supply on said surface, an electricalcloth feed control comprising:

a. a main drive motor,

b. means operatively connecting said main motor to said frame for movingsaid frame,

c. means for controlling said main motor to operate at different speeds,

d. cloth feed means for positively feeding said cloth from said supplyto said spreader means, including an electric feed motor,

e. an electrical feed control circuit communicating with said feed motorto operate said feed motor at different speeds.

f. means electrically coupling said feed control circuit to said mainmotor controlling means so that the speeds of said feed motor and saidmain motor vary substantially proportionally and simultaneously,

a feed potentiometer in said feed control circuit,

. means responsive to the feed speed of said cloth and operativelyconnected to said potentiometer to vary the speed of said feed motorrelative to the speed of said main motor, in order to maintain the feedspeed of said cloth and the speed of said frame substantially equal.

2. The invention according to claim 1 in which the means responsive tothe feed speed of said cloth comprises a dancer roller supporting clothbetween said supply and said spreader means, arm means supporting saiddancer roller and movably mounted on said frame to vary the length ofthe cloth path from said supply to said spreader means in response tothe tension in said cloth, said potentiometer being operativelyconnected to said arm means to vary the resistance in said potentiometercorresponding to the movement of said dancer roller.

3. The invention according to claim 2 in which said arm means has a freeend and a journal end, said dancer roller being joumaled in said freeend, and means pivotally mounting said journal end on said frame forpivotal movement of said dancer roller, means operatively connectingsaid dancer roller to said feed motor for positively driving said dancerroller.

4. The invention according to claim 3 in which said cloth supplycomprises a cloth roll, said cloth feed means further comprises a clothsupply feed means for positively unwinding said cloth roll, meansoperatively connecting said cloth supply feed means to said feed motor.

5. The invention according to claim 1 in which said main circuit motorcontrolling means comprises a main motor control circuit, a reversingcircuit connecting said main motor control circuit to said main drivemotor, reversing switch means responsive to the longitudinal position ofsaid frame relative to said spreading surface for actuating saidreversing circuit to reverse the direction of said main drive motor,said reversing circuit and said feed control circuit being connected inparallel.

6. The invention according to claim 1 further comprising speed switchmeans responsive to the longitudinal position of said frame relative tosaid spreading surface for energizing said main motor controlling meansto change the speed of said main drive motor.

7. The invention according to claim 1 in which said main motorcontrolling means transmits a signal to said feed control circuitcorresponding to the input voltage to said main drive motor, said feedpotentiometer varying said signal by an amount corresponding to thedifference in the actual feed speed of said cloth and the longitudinalspeed of said frame.

8. The invention according to claim 1 in which said main motorcontrolling means comprises a main motor drive circuit, a brakingresistor, a main motor armature circuit, and selective switch means forconnecting said armature circuit alternately with said drive circuit andsaid braking resistor, said coupling means connecting said feed controlcircuit to said main motor armature circuit.

9. The invention according according to claim 8 further comprising speedcontrol means for varying the speed of said main motor drive circuit.

10. The invention according to claim 1 in which said feed controlcircuit comprises an SCR bridge circuit connected to said feed motor, asource of alternating current for said feed motor, and electronic timingmeans responsive to an input signal from said main motor controllingmeans, to render one of said SCRs in said bridge circuit conductive fora predetermined period of time in each A.C. cycle corresponding to themagnitude of said input signal.

11. In a cloth spreading machine having a frame c. an electrical feedcontrol circuit communicating movable longitudinally over a spreadingsurface and with said feed motor to drive said feed motor at having acloth supply and spreader means for spreading Variable p cloth fr aidsupply on id f an l t i l d. said feed control circuit being responsiveto said cl th f d t l ri i signal from said sensing means to drive saidfeed a. sensing means detecting the longitudinal speed of motor at aSpeed continuously Proportional to Said said frame relative to saidspreading surface, and frame p producing an electrical SignalContinuously 12. The invention according to claim 11 further comprisingelectrical motive means for moving said frame, said sensing meansdetecting the speed of said motive means.

portional to said frame speed, b. cloth feed means for positivelyfeeding cloth from said supply to said spreader means, including anelectric feed motor,

1. In a cloth spreading machine having a frame movable longitudinallyover a spreading surface and having a cloth supply and spreader meansfor spreading cloth from said supply on said surface, an electricalcloth feed control comprising: a. a main drive motor, b. meansoperatively connecting said main motor to said frame for moving saidframe, c. means for controlling said main motor to operate at differentspeeds, d. cloth feed means for positively feeding said cloth from saidsupply to said spreader means, including an electric feed motor, e. anelectrical feed control circuit communicating with said feed motor tooperate said feed motor at different speeds. f. means electricallycoupling said feed control circuit to said main motor controlling meansso that the speeds of said feed motor and said main motor varysubstantially proportionally and simultaneously, g. a feed potentiometerin said feed control circuit, h. means responsive to the feed speed ofsaid cloth and operatively connected to said potentiometer to vary thespeed of said feed motor relative to the speed of said main motor, inorder to maintain the feed speed of said cloth and the speed of saidframe substantially equal.
 2. The invention according to claim 1 inwhich the means resPonsive to the feed speed of said cloth comprises adancer roller supporting cloth between said supply and said spreadermeans, arm means supporting said dancer roller and movably mounted onsaid frame to vary the length of the cloth path from said supply to saidspreader means in response to the tension in said cloth, saidpotentiometer being operatively connected to said arm means to vary theresistance in said potentiometer corresponding to the movement of saiddancer roller.
 3. The invention according to claim 2 in which said armmeans has a free end and a journal end, said dancer roller beingjournaled in said free end, and means pivotally mounting said journalend on said frame for pivotal movement of said dancer roller, meansoperatively connecting said dancer roller to said feed motor forpositively driving said dancer roller.
 4. The invention according toclaim 3 in which said cloth supply comprises a cloth roll, said clothfeed means further comprises a cloth supply feed means for positivelyunwinding said cloth roll, means operatively connecting said clothsupply feed means to said feed motor.
 5. The invention according toclaim 1 in which said main circuit motor controlling means comprises amain motor control circuit, a reversing circuit connecting said mainmotor control circuit to said main drive motor, reversing switch meansresponsive to the longitudinal position of said frame relative to saidspreading surface for actuating said reversing circuit to reverse thedirection of said main drive motor, said reversing circuit and said feedcontrol circuit being connected in parallel.
 6. The invention accordingto claim 1 further comprising speed switch means responsive to thelongitudinal position of said frame relative to said spreading surfacefor energizing said main motor controlling means to change the speed ofsaid main drive motor.
 7. The invention according to claim 1 in whichsaid main motor controlling means transmits a signal to said feedcontrol circuit corresponding to the input voltage to said main drivemotor, said feed potentiometer varying said signal by an amountcorresponding to the difference in the actual feed speed of said clothand the longitudinal speed of said frame.
 8. The invention according toclaim 1 in which said main motor controlling means comprises a mainmotor drive circuit, a braking resistor, a main motor armature circuit,and selective switch means for connecting said armature circuitalternately with said drive circuit and said braking resistor, saidcoupling means connecting said feed control circuit to said main motorarmature circuit.
 9. The invention according according to claim 8further comprising speed control means for varying the speed of saidmain motor drive circuit.
 10. The invention according to claim 1 inwhich said feed control circuit comprises an SCR bridge circuitconnected to said feed motor, a source of alternating current for saidfeed motor, and electronic timing means responsive to an input signalfrom said main motor controlling means, to render one of said SCR''s insaid bridge circuit conductive for a predetermined period of time ineach A.C. cycle corresponding to the magnitude of said input signal. 11.In a cloth spreading machine having a frame movable longitudinally overa spreading surface and having a cloth supply and spreader means forspreading cloth from said supply on said surface, an electrical clothfeed control comprising: a. sensing means detecting the longitudinalspeed of said frame relative to said spreading surface, and producing anelectrical signal continuously proportional to said frame speed, b.cloth feed means for positively feeding cloth from said supply to saidspreader means, including an electric feed motor, c. an electrical feedcontrol circuit communicating with said feed motor to drive said feedmotor at variable speeds, d. said feed control circuit being responsiveto said signal from said sensing means to drive said feed motor at aspeed continuously proportional to said frame speed.
 12. The inventionaccording to claim 11 further comprising electrical motive means formoving said frame, said sensing means detecting the speed of said motivemeans.